After years of collisions, congestion and complaints, a bustling, three-block stretch of Middlefield Road near the Menlo Park border may soon be in for a dramatic redesign, including a reduction from four lanes to three.

The proposal, which the City Council will consider Monday night, is the culmination of dozens of car accidents and heavy lobbying from residents along Middlefield, who have long maintained that the deteriorating traffic conditions have created dangerous conditions in their neighborhood. A group of residents has been meeting with city staff in recent months to discuss potential fixes. Most recently, the collaboration netted two alternatives, each of which would include as its centerpiece what's known as a "road diet."

One thing that everyone agrees on is that the status quo isn't working. According to the city's traffic study, the area is badly congested during commute hours, with all three Middlefield Road intersections in the area functioning at levels of service D, E or F during the busy times (the three lowest grades). On Middlefield and Hawthorne Avenue, which has a level of service F, cars face delays of 126.9 seconds (a little over 2 minutes) during the morning peak. Middlefield and Everett Avenue works as an an F during the evening peak, with delays of 57.9 seconds.

While crawling cars present one problem, speeding cars present another. During off-peak hours, the speed on Middlefield -- where the speed limit is 25 miles per hour -- is typically between 31 and 34 miles per hour (neighbors report seeing drivers traveling at 50 mph or higher). Collisions are common here given the high volume of cars, including an estimated 18,000 on a typical weekday, and the poor visibility for drivers turning at intersections. Palo Alto staff cited a California Highway Patrol database that showed about 33 reported collisions on this three-block segment between 2009 and 2013. Residents believe the number is far higher because many minor accidents aren't reported. Some have taken photos every time cars collide or a vehicle crashes into a yard.

According to Palo Alto's traffic staff, most collisions were "caused by right-of-way violations and the prevailing crash type was angle or broadside."

"Several have resulted in injuries and/or have encroached onto the sidewalk area or private properties, creating safety and quality of life concerns for the residents that live and travel along Middlefield Road," the report states.

Some improvements are already in place. In 2015, the city began prohibiting left turns onto Middlefield from Hawthorne and Everett. During peak hours, cars are also prohibited from going straight across Middlefield and must turn right. This, however, did not solve the problem. In fact, staff reports that the number of eastbound left-hand turns during the evening peak traffic hour at Middlefield and Hawthorne actually went up from 42 to 57 after the change.

Now, the city is preparing to take things to the next level. Under the first of two alternatives known as 7A, the section of Middlefield Road between Lytton and Palo Alto avenues would be redesigned so that instead of two lanes of traffic going in each direction, there would be one, along with a left-turn lane in the middle. In the southbound direction, the single lane would become two lanes between Everett and Lytton avenues, while the northbound direction would remain a single lane.

Known as a "road diet," the switch from four lanes to three aims to bring the numbers down. According to the Federal Highway Administration, a road diet results in a crash reduction of 19 to 47 percent. It also lessens the difference between vehicle speeds, improves access for all road uses and integrates the roadway "into surrounding uses that results in an enhanced quality of life," according to a report from the Department of Planning and Community Environment.

"A key feature of a Road Diet is that it allows reclaimed space to be allocated for other uses, such as turn lanes, bus lanes, pedestrian refuge islands, bike lanes, sidewalks, bus shelters, parking or landscaping," the report states.

Under the second proposal known as 7B, the number of lanes is reduced from two to one in the northbound direction. Southbound, however, the two-lane configuration would remain along the entire stretch. In the northbound direction, there would be a single lane for through traffic and a left-turn lane that would give local residents the ability to turn into their driveways. Unlike in 7A, this alternative does not include bike lanes. Both proposals include median barriers on Middlefield to prevent left turns from Everett and Hawthorne avenues.

John Guislin, a Middlefield Road resident who has been leading the charge for improvements, told the Weekly that for residents in his area, 7A is clearly the preferred choice "by a huge margin." By creating a buffer zone between the sidewalk and the roadway, the design makes it easier for drivers taking, or turning onto, Middlefield to see other cars.

"Accidents can happen because people edge out to look if they can turn," Guislin told the Weekly. "Having the lanes that create a 5-foot-wide buffer zone each way improves the visibility."

After grading all nine alternatives, including the ones that were previously proposed and then either revised or rejected, the group of neighbors gave 7A a grade of A-. Option 7B, which does not include curb buffers and which maintains two lanes in the southbound direction, scored a D.

"It only slows the northbound traffic but not the southbound," Guislin said of 7B. "It doesn't improve driveway exits or access and it doesn't improve the sight lines."

In its report to the council, the group noted that the traffic volumes on Middlefield have almost doubled since 2013, when there were about 10,000 vehicles per day.

"This increase in traffic has brought increased accidents, increased average speed, increased congestion and significantly reduced quality of life," the neighbors wrote. "People feel unsafe in their front yards and on the sidewalk."

The council will consider both configurations Monday and decide whether to approve one of them on a one-year pilot basis. If the council approves the $200,000 project, design will be completed in the spring and construction will begin shortly thereafter, according to staff.